Nick Aster

As of 2017, 75 percent of the world’s largest companies rely on the GRI standards for these disclosures. Financial markets rely on credible, high-quality, comparable information and, with its new model, GRI was able to develop a more rigorous process resulting in more detailed and comparable disclosure standards to meet these needs. While the disclosure standards themselves have matured and are now broadly adopted throughout the world, some challenges in the use of the standards remain: Quality: The quality, timeliness and veracity of this information can vary widely which reduces confidence and thus reliability for decision-making. GRI offers the global solution for ESG disclosure standards, but multinational institutions like the United Nations, G20, OECD, The World Bank and others must play a key role in driving the needed regulatory changes.

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A standard like SD VISta can play an important role in having an independent assessment of SDG impacts and drive funding towards high-impact projects,” Julie Baroody, Director of Standards Development at Verra, told TriplePundit. The need for more transparency and clear labeling around ESG products is also driving a trio of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from Impact Shares, which helps organizations translate their social values into an investable product traded on the New York Stock Exchange. According to Ethan Powell, CEO of Impact Shares, the fund is designed to provide exposure to companies worldwide with strong policies and practices relative to the SDGs that are actively engaged in the world’s poorest countries, known also as the 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs). According to Jake Raden, Impact Analyst with Swell Investing, the team conducts a deep dive analysis of the company’s business practices and then uses a proprietary process to ensure those revenue-generating activities align to specific SDG subgoals.

One Good Thing, for example, sells high-end gifts made from recycled material while empowering the livelihoods of artisans that have made them; Alterna is a non-profit accelerator for social businesses in Guatemala; and MUrgency is an online platform in India that connects people who need emergency medical help with the closest doctor, ambulance, paramedic, nurse or hospital emergency room in 15 cities. “We´ll see more activity of established traditional companies adapting practices to introduce impact models within their original business models,” says Daniel Buchbinder, founder of Guatemala based social enterprise accelerator Alterna. Research by B Corp shows that its members in the U. K. have experienced an average year-on-year growth rate of 14 percent, 28 times higher than the national average, and B Corp-certified consumer goods brands grew on average 21 percent in 2017, compared to a national average of 3 percent across their respective sectors. Public-private partnerships will also come together to fund social causes, as demonstrated by Sky News teaming up with government on their Ocean Rescue innovation fund where they will match £2 million in grants to companies that receive investment from Sky Ocean Ventures.